South Shore Youth Lacrosse Powerhouse Will Bring Unparalleled Skills Development, Competition and College Networking Opportunities to Young Players

Hingham, Massachusetts, May 4, 2016 – Two of the South Shore’s strongest youth lacrosse clubs, North River Lacrosse (NRL) and The Boston Kings, announced today that they are joining together to become Kings Lacrosse. The merger will be official for the 2016-2017 lacrosse season, and will include programs for both boys and girls in grades K-12.

For boys, the Kings Lacrosse program will include the Boston Kings year-round junior program for boys in grades K-3, and three Boston Kings Elite teams per grade in grades 3-12. For girls, the program will offer the Boston Aces year-round junior program for girls in grades K-4, and one Boston Aces Elite team per grade in grades 5-12. Kings Lacrosse will also be offering a variety of training and development options including drop-in skills, small-group positional training, summer camp and one-on-one coaching.

The Boston Kings launched to the boys lacrosse scene in the 2014-2015 season, and proved itself quickly, with its 5th grade Elite team winning the Prime Time Maverick, Crossroads, 3d Invitational and New England Youth Lacrosse All Stars tournaments in its first year. “We’re so excited about the new Kings Lacrosse program, which will provide our players with unparalleled coaching talent and networking reach in Massachusetts and beyond,” said Greg Traynor, co-owner of Kings Lacrosse. “The strong development component combined with promotion throughout the college recruiting and showcasing process will put Kings Lacrosse and its players on the map at a national level.”

The North River Lacrosse boys and girls club youth lacrosse program was established in 2010 with a variety of lacrosse opportunities for boys and girls in Grades K-11 in and around the South Shore. NRL’s Elite Teams have also seen some impressive success in recent years, capped most recently with their 12 SkipJacks teams winning 13 individual tournament championships last summer, including the Keene Invitational, Rhode Island Classic and Stowe LaxJam. “Kings Lacrosse will bring together all the top players in the area, and more importantly, the top coaches on the south shore,” said Chris McGuirk, co-owner of Kings Lacrosse and director of the Boston Kings boys program. “In addition to making our elite teams more competitive, this merger will allow us to offer better training and skill development options to all players in the south shore lacrosse community.”

Emily Stearns, director of the girls’ program, will be the driving force behind the Boston Aces. Stearns was a four-year starter at Division 1 Lehigh University and played for the Scotland National Team. She has an extensive coaching resume, highlighted by her years coaching the Scottish National U17 and U19 teams, and the varsity teams at Norwell High (State Championship 2009) and Milton High School. Stearns’ success as girls’ program director for North River Lacrosse will set the foundation for the Boston Aces’ season this year, which includes high school teams and an academy team to the already robust North River Lacrosse program.

Tryouts for the 2016-2017 Boston Kings and Boston Aces Elite teams will be held in late July and August of this year. For more information about Kings Lacrosse teams, clinics and camps, including updated tryout information, visit the Kings Lacrosse site at kingslax.com.

About Kings Lacrosse
Our goal at Kings Lacrosse is to develop lacrosse players that have the dedication, skills, focus and drive to play at the highest levels of lacrosse, from youth and high school to college and beyond. We are committed to providing the coaching and curriculum that will allow players to learn and grow as individuals and also as teammates. Our elite teams, the Boston Kings and the Boston Aces, participate in fall, winter and spring/summer tournaments against other elite club teams in the Northeast. Learn more at kingslax.com.